At the Pirelli Grande Finale at the Marco Simoncelli World Circuit on November 4-6, 2022, the final decision was made in the Formula Championship. But there was also plenty going on in the other classes. After its premiere last year, the Boss GP Racing Series made its second stop at the 4.2-kilometre Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this autumn.
Boss GP Open Class
All eyes were on the lap times of Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering) in the Dallara World Series. Could he break the lap record of 1:25.380 that has stood for many years? He could! The 4.5-liter car lapped the Italian race track near the Adriatic Sea faster than any other car before. With a best time of 1:20.785, the 34-year-old Latvian set a fabulous time that will go down in the history books of the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. On the technically demanding and rather angular MotoGP race track, this meant an average speed of 188 km/h for Schlegelmilch. At the same time, the first champion in the Open classification also claimed wins 9 and 10 of the season in this new class.
Boss GP Formula Class
Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) once again did everything in his power to keep his title chances alive. But winning the first race was not enough. Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International) from Milan took second place to win the title early. This means that Ghiotto has to vacate his "throne" after three titles in a row. For the 35-year-old Colombo, it was the crowning glory of only his second Boss GP season. Luca Martucci (ITA, MM International) completed the Italian "holiday" with third place. In Sunday's race, Ghiotto and the new champion Colombo came very close once again. Only a few centimeters separated the two GP2 cars as they entered the first corner. However, the "duel of the season" did not continue, as Ghiotto spun into the grass only shortly afterwards. But the 2019 to 2021 champion was able to continue and at least take home another trophy with second place. Colombo celebrated the victory as a bonus to the championship title he had already secured yesterday. As on Saturday, Martucci completed the all-Italian podium in the Formula standings.
Boss GP Super Lights Class
On Friday he was still at school, on Saturday he took his place in the Tatuus World Series: Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing) managed to surprise everyone in Saturday morning's qualifying session despite being absent from free practice. With fourth place among the GP2 cars, the sensation in the wet was perfect. In the inferior six-cylinder World Series, he also held his own in the dry and even maintained his position for a long time in the first race. In the end, the talented 16-year-old finished fifth overall, making victory in the Super Lights class a mere formality. To top it all off, Geier also set the pace on Saturday evening in the Boss GP family's season-ending kart race. With used tires, Geier found the longer Sunday race a little more difficult, but he crowned his performance this weekend with another class victory. Walter Colacino (ITA, Colacino Motorsport) in the Formula 3000 took second place.
After twelve races in five different countries, the 2022 Boss GP Racing Series has now come to an end. Planning for the 2023 tour is already underway, with the start of the season of Europe's fastest racing series scheduled for April.
Pilots and the race
Harald Schlegelmilch (LVA, HS Engineering), double winner Boss GP Open class Misano: "We've been trying to get faster and faster all year. Now we've also managed to break a record! The car is so fast, my driving is certainly not bad either (laughs). The balance of the car is really excellent, the car almost drives itself. With a little less traffic, a time under 1:20 would have been possible."
Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), New Boss GP Formula class champion: "For me, it was the clear goal of the season to become champion. I'm really happy after not being able to secure the title in Mugello. I was consistent throughout the year and almost always a bit faster than Marco Ghiotto, which is why the title worked out."
Alexander Geier (AUT, Geier Racing), double winner Boss GP Super Lights class Misano: "I've never ridden in the rain before, but from the looks of it, I like the rain (laughs). Fourth place in qualifying was of course surprising. The conclusion of the season is positive, it was all completely new to me, much more professional than what I've ridden before. Of course, I definitely want to continue."
